A special moment unfolded after the WWE SmackDown taping for the Independence Day edition airing Friday, July 4, 2025. The taping took place Monday night on the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA, following the live episode of WWE RAW on Netflix.
The post-show segment, exclusive to the live crowd and never scheduled to air throughout the two-hour SmackDown broadcast on the USA Network, featured “Fundamental Event” Jey Uso and a young fan named Samuel leading the audience in singing “Joyful Birthday” to Cody Rhodes, who turned 40 that night.
Following the singalong, Uso accidently dropped the birthday cake onto the mat. In true Cody fashion, he scooped up the stays and smashed it into his own face, drawing an enormous response from the 14,000+ fans in attendance.
You’ll be able to take a look at some videos from the post-show segment below:
A special moment to conclude #WWERaw and #SmackDown in Pittsburgh. Jey Uso and Samuel wishing @CodyRhodes a Joyful fortieth Birthday! pic.twitter.com/FyOiYaRB6c
— Juice Springsteen 🎙️ (@JuicySteen) July 1, 2025
Post #SmackDown Jey Uso sings Joyful Birthday to Cody Rhodes, drops his birthday cake, then Cody puts his own face within the cake. pic.twitter.com/6LYyeBxNmQ
— Luke Andruscik (@LukeAndruscik) July 1, 2025
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